The debate between Jefferson and the State as to who would plow a three-mile section of road in town was resolved at the town selectmen’s meeting Monday night.
Jefferson selectmen decided that the town would need to absorb the extra $5400 it will cost to plow Rt. 126 between Rt. 32 and Rt. 220, a section of road deemed by selectmen, the road commissioner, a town citizen and a state plow truck driver to be in very poor condition.
Previous to their decision to burden winter maintenance, selectmen discussed cost and the danger of leaving this road unattended. Steve Baker, a plow truck driver who works for the D.O.T. and had been maintaining this section of Rt. 126 attended the Jefferson Board of Selectmen meeting. The D.O.T. asked Baker to stop plowing the road, as the state had said winter maintenance is the responsibility of the town.
“I just hope it gets resolved before somebody gets killed,” he said.
Baker said that as the Washington foreman, he had received multiple complaints about the road. Jefferson selectman Jigger Clark said that the town office has also received complaints regarding that section of Rt. 126.
The DOT transferred plowing responsibility of this section of Rt. 126 to Jefferson by designating it a state aid highway on Oct. 1.
Jefferson selectmen sent a letter stating that there had been a misunderstanding, following a meeting with D.O.T officials in Waldoboro on July 26. The state wanted the town to take over the responsibility of winter maintenance. The letter from Jefferson stated that they would not be able to and did not intend to perform winter maintenance on that section of Rt. 126.
“When we went to the meeting in Waldoboro they assumed we’d take it over,” Clark said.
Since this section of road has been designated as a state aid highway, the town is legally responsible for maintaining it, according to a D.O.T. document from Commissioner David Cole.
“We’re on the hook for $5400,” selectman James Hilton said.
The state will pay the town $2200 per lane mile for the plowing and other winter maintenance, Baker confirmed. Since there are roughly three lane miles on this stretch of road, the town will receive $6600 from the Urban Renewal Improvement Project funding from the state.
“We’ve got to do something for that road before somebody gets hurt,” Hilton said.
Hilton added that while the state helps to pay a portion of maintenance, people shouldn’t expect conditions to improve. According to the document, minor collector roads such as the Rt. 126 stretch are at the bottom of the state funding priority list.
“People better realize there are going to be a lot of roads like this,” Hilton said. “The state has no money.”
The town haggled a price with plow contractor Jim Beverage to arrive at a solution to the Rt. 126 quandary. At first they offered $10,000 for the season. Beverage was concerned about the cost of damages to his equipment and said that plows are not cheap.
“I realize we’re asking you to plow a road that’s in rough shape,” Hilton said.
Selectmen made an agreement with Beverage to maintain the road. They will pay him $12,000 for the season, thankful to have someone to take over winter maintenance.
“It’s a lot better today than it was yesterday,” Beverage said at Monday night’s meeting, then turning to face Baker he said, “You can sleep better tonight.”
